Meter disconnect relay having silver refractory materials contacts

ABSTRACT

In one aspect, a meter disconnect relay is described that is comprised of a base, an actuator, a shuttle and one or more disconnect switches. The shuttle is operably connected to and moved by a plunger of the actuator. The one or more disconnect switches can be opened or closed by movement of the shuttle, wherein each disconnect switch is comprised of a rigid, conductive bridging section comprising at least two contacts; a conductive source portion having a source contact and a conductive load portion having a load contact, wherein one or more of the source contact, the load contact and the at least two contacts of the bridging portion are at least partially comprised of silver refractory materials.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent application No. 61/525,599, filed Aug. 19, 2011, which is fullyincorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof. Thisapplication is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. Nos.13/326,977 and 13/327,033, both filed concurrently herewith, which areeach fully incorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof.

BACKGROUND

Disconnect relays used in meters today are expensive due to high partcount, complexity, copper content, and precious metals content. Further,disconnect relays in the market place today typically use methods suchas flexible conductor “arms”/contact “arms” that have practicallimitations that necessitate lower contact force (i.e. in 2-3.5 Newtons(N) range). Contacts commonly used in meter service disconnect relaystoday typically use a silver tin alloy. The silver tin contacts under afault condition will flow (or sacrifice) the silver to the outer edge ofthe contact surface. Depending on the severity and frequency of surge/sthe copper substrate will be exposed and the contact silver will have anirregular surface. These conditions create higher resistance and archingthat hastens the disconnect relay failure through either high heat riseand plastics melting or loss of relay connection. Further, commondisconnect relays in the field today often weld after one to two 7000amp fault conditions for 6 electrical cycles and may not operate or havea significantly shortened contact life. Further, systems commonly usedtoday typically will not survive 12000 amp fault conditions for 4electrical cycles. In contrast, the market available relays used intoday's meters generally have contact blow-off and often break theirhousing/insulation in the 12000 KVA 4 electrical cycle test.

Therefore, disconnect relays and contact materials that overcomechallenges in the art, some of which are described above, are desired.

SUMMARY

Described herein are embodiments of a meter service disconnect relayhaving at least one or more contacts that are at least partiallycomprised of silver refractory materials.

In one aspect, a meter disconnect relay is described that is comprisedof a base, an actuator, a shuttle and one or more disconnect switches.The actuator can be situated within the base, wherein the base maintainsa portion of the actuator stationary and allows a plunger of theactuator to move within the base. The shuttle can be at least partiallycomprised of non-conductive material and having one or more windows,wherein the shuttle is operably connected to and moved by the plunger ofthe actuator and wherein the shuttle can be moved within the base and atleast a portion of the base provides a stop for movement of the shuttle.The one or more disconnect switches can be opened or closed by movementof the shuttle, wherein each disconnect switch is comprised of a rigid,conductive bridging section pivotally connected to a first face of oneof the one or more windows in the shuttle, wherein the bridging sectioncomprises at least two contacts; a leaf spring pivotally connected to asecond face of the one of the one or more windows of the shuttle,wherein the second face of the window is opposite the first face of thewindow and the leaf spring applies force to the bridging section; and aconductive source portion having a source contact and a conductive loadportion having a load contact, wherein a first and second contact of theat least two contacts of the bridging portion are caused tosubstantially simultaneously come in contact with and disconnect fromthe source contact and the load contact by movement of the shuttle andwherein one or more of the source contact, the load contact and the atleast two contacts of the bridging portion are at least partiallycomprised of silver refractory materials.

In another aspect, a system is described. The system is comprised of ameter and a meter disconnect relay integrated with the meter. The meterdisconnect relay is comprised of a base, an actuator, a shuttle and oneor more disconnect switches. The actuator can be situated within thebase, wherein the base maintains a portion of the actuator stationaryand allows a plunger of the actuator to move within the base. Theshuttle can be at least partially comprised of non-conductive materialand having one or more windows, wherein the shuttle is operablyconnected to and moved by the plunger of the actuator and wherein theshuttle can be moved within the base and at least a portion of the baseprovides a stop for movement of the shuttle. The one or more disconnectswitches can be opened or closed by movement of the shuttle, whereineach disconnect switch is comprised of a rigid, conductive bridgingsection pivotally connected to a first face of one of the one or morewindows in the shuttle, wherein the bridging section comprises at leasttwo contacts; a leaf spring pivotally connected to a second face of theone of the one or more windows of the shuttle, wherein the second faceof the window is opposite the first face of the window and the leafspring applies force to the bridging section; and a conductive sourceportion having a source contact and a conductive load portion having aload contact, wherein a first and second contact of the at least twocontacts of the bridging portion are caused to substantiallysimultaneously come in contact with and disconnect from the sourcecontact and the load contact by movement of the shuttle and wherein oneor more of the source contact, the load contact and the at least twocontacts of the bridging portion are at least partially comprised ofsilver refractory materials.

Additional advantages will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows or may be learned by practice. The advantages will be realizedand attained by means of the elements and combinations particularlypointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both theforegoing general description and the following detailed description areexemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments and together with thedescription, serve to explain the principles of the methods and systems:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a meter disconnect relay;

FIG. 2 illustrates an aspect of a base that can be used to practice anembodiment of a meter disconnect relay;

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate side (elevation) views of aspects of shuttlesthat can be used according to embodiments of a meter disconnect relay;

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C illustrate various exploded views and aspects of theconductive bridging section and leaf spring of the one or moredisconnect switches of an embodiment of a meter disconnect relay;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D illustrate a cut-away view and exploded views ofan aspect of an actuator that can be used in an embodiment of for use ina meter disconnect relay; and

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an embodiment of a meter disconnect relayfurther comprising a utility revenue meter, wherein the meter disconnectrelay is integrated into the utility revenue meter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present methods and systems are disclosed and described, itis to be understood that the methods and systems are not limited tospecific synthetic methods, specific components, or to particularcompositions. It is also to be understood that the terminology usedherein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only andis not intended to be limiting.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms“a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” oneparticular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When sucha range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the oneparticular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, whenvalues are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent“about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms anotherembodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each ofthe ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, andindependently of the other endpoint.

“Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described eventor circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includesinstances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where itdoes not.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word“comprise” and variations of the word, such as “comprising” and“comprises,” means “including but not limited to,” and is not intendedto exclude, for example, other additives, components, integers or steps.“Exemplary” means “an example of” and is not intended to convey anindication of a preferred or ideal embodiment. “Such as” is not used ina restrictive sense, but for explanatory purposes.

Disclosed are components that can be used to perform the disclosedmethods and systems. These and other components are disclosed herein,and it is understood that when combinations, subsets, interactions,groups, etc. of these components are disclosed that while specificreference of each various individual and collective combinations andpermutation of these may not be explicitly disclosed, each isspecifically contemplated and described herein, for all methods andsystems. This applies to all aspects of this application including, butnot limited to, steps in disclosed methods. Thus, if there are a varietyof additional steps that can be performed it is understood that each ofthese additional steps can be performed with any specific embodiment orcombination of embodiments of the disclosed methods.

The present methods and systems may be understood more readily byreference to the following detailed description of preferred embodimentsand the Examples included therein and to the Figures and their previousand following description.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a meter disconnect relay 100. Theembodiment shown in FIG. 1 is comprised of two disconnect switches 102,though more or fewer disconnect switches 102 are contemplated within thescope of embodiments of the invention. Each embodiment of a disconnectswitch 102 is comprised of a source side 104, a load side 106, and abridging portion 108. In one aspect, the bridging portion 108 comprisessolid, rigid electrically conductive material such as copper, silver,aluminum, combinations thereof, and the like. Contacts 110 on thebridging portion 108 come in contact with contacts 110 on the source 104and load 106 sections when the switch 102 is closed. Similarly, thecontacts 110 are separated when the switch 102 is opened. In one aspect,an actuator 112 is used to open and close the one or more switches 102.In one aspect, the actuator 112 comprises an electrical solenoid thoughother types of actuators such as hydraulic or pneumatic actuators arecontemplated with the scope of embodiments of the present invention. Inone aspect, the actuator 112 can be used to adjust the force applied tothe source 104 contacts 110 and the load 106 contacts 110 by thecontacts 110 of the bridging section 108.

Generally, the actuator 112 is comprised of a stationary portion 1121that is affixed and held in place by a base 120 of the meter disconnectrelay 100 and a plunger 1122 that moves into and out of the stationaryportion 1121 of the actuator 112. In one aspect, as shown in FIG. 1, theactuator 112 is connected to a shuttle 116 through the plunger 1122. Theshuttle 116 is generally moveable within the base 120. Generally, theshuttle 116 moves linearly within the base 120. In one aspect, tabs orwings 1161 on the shuttle 116 fit in grooves or slots of the base 120 inorder to provide controlled movement of the shuttle 116 within the base120. In one aspect, a portion of the base 120 such as wall 1201 canprovide a stop to stop the movement of the shuttle 116 as a portion 1162of the shuttle 116 is configured to come into contact with the wallportion 1201 at the fullest extent of travel of the shuttle 116, thoughother means of stopping the travel of the shuttle 116 are consideredwithin the scope of embodiments of the invention. Generally, the shuttle116 is at least partially comprised of non-conductive material and hasone or more windows (not shown in FIG. 1), wherein there is a window foreach disconnect switch 102.

When the plunger 114 moves, it moves the shuttle 116 thereby opening orclosing the one or more disconnect switches 102. In addition to thesource side 104, load side 106, and bridging portion 108, eachdisconnect switch 102 is further comprised of a leaf spring 122. In oneaspect, the rigid, conductive bridging section 108 can be pivotallyconnected to a first face of one of the one or more windows in theshuttle 116. As noted above, the bridging section 108 generallycomprises at least two contacts 110, though more or fewer contacts 110are contemplated within embodiments of the present invention. The leafspring 122 can be pivotally connected to a second face of the one of theone or more windows of the shuttle 116, wherein the second face of thewindow is opposite the first face of the window and the leaf spring 122applies force to the bridging section 108.

The first and second contacts 110 of the at least two contacts of thebridging portion 108 are caused to substantially simultaneously come incontact with and disconnect from the source contact and the load contactby movement of the shuttle 116. In one aspect, the shuttle 116 continuesto travel beyond the point where first and second contacts of the atleast two contacts of the bridging portion 108 first substantiallysimultaneously come in contact with the source contact and the loadcontact. This over travel of the shuttle 116 can cause additional forceto be applied to the source contact and the load contact by the at leasttwo contacts of the bridging portion through compression of the leafspring 122.

Further comprising the embodiment of a meter disconnect relay 100 asshown in FIG. 1 are power and controls 124 that provide a source ofenergy to the actuator 112 and control the movement of the actuator 112.For example, if the actuator 112 were pneumatic, the energy source maybe compressed air that is controlled by an arrangement of valves.Similarly, if the actuator were an electric solenoid, the energy sourcemay be electrical power that is controlled by changing the currentdirection through the windings of the solenoid causing the plunger 1122to move out of or in to the solenoid body 1121, depending upon thedirection of the current.

FIG. 2 illustrates an aspect of a base 120 that can be used to practicean embodiment of a meter disconnect relay 100. As noted herein, in oneaspect a wall section 1201 of the base 120 can be used to stop travel ofthe shuttle 116. The base 120 can be comprised of electricallyconductive materials such as metal, non-conductive materials such asplastic or fiberglass, or combinations thereof. It can be configuredsuch that the meter disconnect relay can fit within other apparatus suchas within the base of a revenue meter. Generally, the base 120 ispan-like in shape in that it has a bottom 1202 and walls 1201, but anopen top. In one aspect, slots 202 are provided for conductive stabs tocome through the bottom 1202 (shown) or sides 1201 (not shown) of thebase 120 and connect with the source 104 and load 106 sections.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate side (elevation) views of aspects of shuttles116 that can be used according to embodiments of a meter disconnectrelay 100. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each shuttle 116 is comprised ofone or more windows 1162. Each window 1162 corresponds to a disconnectswitch 102 of the meter disconnect relay 100. Each window 1162 comprisesat least a first face 11621 and a second face 11622. In one aspect, thea rigid, conductive bridging section 108 can be pivotally connected tothe first face 1162 of one of the one or more windows 1162 in theshuttle 116 and the leaf spring 122 can be pivotally connected to thesecond face 11622 of the one of the one or more windows 1162 of theshuttle 116, wherein the second face 11622 of the window 1162 isopposite the first face 11621 of the window 1162 and the leaf spring 122applies force to the bridging section 108. In one aspect, the rigid,conductive bridging section 108 can be pivotally connected to the firstface 11621 of a window 1162 in the shuttle 116 by one or more pins 11623extending from the first face 11621 of the window 1162 and the leafspring 122 can be pivotally connected to the second face 11622 of awindow 1162 of the shuttle 116 by one or more pins 11623 extending fromthe second face 11622 of the window 1162, though more or fewer pins11623 or other means of connecting the conducting bridge 108 and theleaf spring 122 to the windows 1162 are contemplated within embodimentsof the present invention.

In one aspect, the shuttle 116 can be configured such that the body 1121of the actuator 112 is held stationary within the shuttle 116 while theplunger 1122 can move thus causing the shuttle 116 to move around thestationary actuator body 1121. In one aspect, the actuator body 1121 canbe held stationary by fingers or tabs extending from the wall 1201 orbottom 1202 of the base 120.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shuttle 116 can comprise one or morewindows 1162, wherein each window 1162 corresponds to a disconnectswitch 102. Therefore, a shuttle 116 can be configured having one window1162, two windows 1162 (FIG. 3), three windows 1162 (FIG. 4), and more.In this way, the meter disconnect relay 100 can be configured tosubstantially simultaneously open or close multiple disconnect switches102 using only a single actuator 112 by movement of the shuttle 116.

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C illustrate various exploded views and aspects of theconductive bridging section 108 and leaf spring 122 of the one or moredisconnect switches 102 of an embodiment of a meter disconnect relay100. In one aspect, the leaf spring 122 is used to apply force to thebridging section 108, which maintains the bridging section 108 within awindow 1162 of a shuttle 116 and also further applies force to thecontacts 110 of the source section 104 and the load section 106 throughthe one or more contacts 110 of the bridging section 108 when adisconnect switch 102 is closed. In one aspect, this force can be fiveNewtons (N), or greater. As noted above, in one aspect the shuttle 116can over travel the point at which the contacts 110 of the sourcesection 104 and the load section 106 first make contact therebycompressing the leaf spring 122 and applying additional force to theconducting section 108, which is transmitted to the contacts 110. Theamount of over travel can be used to adjust the force applied to thesource contacts 110 and the load contacts 110 by the contacts 110 of thebridging section 108. In one aspect, the one or more contacts 110 (whichinclude the contacts 110 of the bridging section 108, the source section104 and the load section 106) can at least be partially welded to theirrespective conductive sections. In another aspect, the one or morecontacts 110 (which include the contacts 110 of the bridging section108, the source section 104 and the load section 106) can at least bepartially riveted to their respective conductive sections.

FIG. 5A illustrates a disassembled side view of an embodiment of arigid, conductive bridging section 108 having one or more contacts 110and a leaf spring 122. FIG. 5B illustrates a top or plan view of anembodiment of a rigid, conductive bridging section 108 and a leaf spring122. Shown in FIG. 5B are the holes 502 for engaging the pins 11623 ofthe shuttle windows 1162 to pivotally connect the bridging section 108and the leaf spring 122 with the shuttle 116. Though shown with twoholes 502, it is to be appreciated that more or fewer holes 502 arecontemplated within the scope of embodiments of the present invention,as are other means of connecting the bridging section 108 and leafspring 122 with the shuttle 116. By allowing the bridging section 108 topivot or float on pins 11623 or shafts, the bridging section 108 canmove or pivot with very low friction.

The aspects of a pivoting spring 122 and contact bridge 108 as shown inFIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C allow the entire bridging section 108 and springassembly 122 to pivot, break welds, and accommodate variations in matingcontact positions (i.e., self-aligning), but yet has the spring forceoptimally located directly in line with the contacts 110. For example,the spring 122 “footprint” can be directly and linearly behind the oneor more contacts 110 on the bridging section 108 for greater contactcontrol of bounce. This configuration also provides a lever action suchthat a force exerted on one contact 110 of the bridging section 108 notonly compresses the spring 122, but transfers more force to the contact110 on the other side of the bridge 110 (as compared to other shortingbar/contact bridge system where the spring force is applied in themiddle between the contacts and has a lower performance result.

FIG. 5C illustrates an alternate embodiment of a bridging section 108and leaf spring 122 assembly that further comprises insulating material504 that electrically insulates the bridging section 108 from the leafspring 122. The insulating material 504 may also help thermally insulatethe bridging section 108 from the leaf spring 122. In one aspect, theinsulating material comprises Teflon™, though other materials arecontemplated within the scope of embodiments of the present invention.In one aspect, the leaf spring 122 is comprised of stainless steel,though other materials are contemplated within the scope of thisinvention. In one aspect, using stainless steel for the spring 122 canfacilitate tamper protection of the meter disconnect relay 100 becausethe stainless steel is minimally affected by magnetic forces used intampering. The spring constant of the leaf spring 122 can be set asdesired by adjustment of the parameters of the leaf spring 122 includingwidth, shape, thickness, material, and the like. The spring constant canbe used to adjust the force applied to the source contacts 110 and theload contacts 110 by the contacts 110 of the bridging section 108. Thespring profile allows for a wide range of steel materials to be used andhigh variations in preload profiles so that a wide range of contactforces and spring characteristics can be used for expanded productapplications and different performance parameters.

In one aspect, one or more contacts 110 of the meter disconnect relay100 are comprised of silver-tin. In another aspect, one or more contacts110 of the meter disconnect relay 100 are comprised of silver refractorycontact metals. For example, the one or more relay contacts 110 can beat least partially comprised of silver/tungsten, silver molybdenum,silver tungsten carbide, silver titanium, titanium carbide and the like.

In one aspect, the contacts 110 are at least partially comprised ofsilver-tungsten. This material has shown a 5X+ greater life in the labunder 7 KVA fault conditions at 6 cycles than standard silver-tincontacts. Silver-tungsten contacts are still functional after a 12 KVAsurge test at 4 cycles while other contact materials (typically AG/SN)blow off and are no longer functional causing the relay to fail. In oneaspect, contacts 110 comprised of silver-tungsten are able to be used inclose size to present (silver-tin) contacts for the application in therange of 45% to 44% silver as compared to other materials that typicallyuse 88%+ sliver content. Therefore the silver contact is reducedproviding a significant precious metals savings for the system. Contactscommonly used in meter service disconnect relays today typically use asilver tin alloy. The silver tin contacts under a fault condition willflow (or sacrifice) the silver to the outer edge of the contact surface.Depending on the severity and frequency of surge/s the copper substratewill be exposed and the contact silver will have an irregular surface.These conditions create higher resistance and arching that hastens thedisconnect relay failure through either high heat rise and plasticsmelting or loss of relay connection. The silver tungsten contacts do notflow the silver to the edge of the contact or lose form to the extentthat silver tin will. As a result, the contact life is significantlyincreased under the same conditions. Embodiments of the contacts 110 maybe made from any process including, but not limited to, press sinterrepress, liquid phase sintering, infiltration, hot isostatic pressing.The silver tungsten is in the form of a mixture that uses near puresilver in a mixture with tungsten. This mixture provides a hardstructure with the tungsten that is much more welding and blow-offresistant as compared to materials being used today (i.e. AG/SN). Atechnical advantage is that embodiments of the disconnect relay 100 cansurvive more frequent and higher severity fault conditions in the field.As a result, the number of meter failures for this condition issignificantly reduce saving money and giving a quality and longer fieldlife advantage.

Another aspect comprises the use of silver molybdenum at least partiallyas the contact material for the contacts 110 in an embodiment of a meterdisconnect relay 100. Silver molybdenum material can be used in closesize to present contacts for the application in the range of 35% to 50%silver as compared to other materials that typically use 88%+ slivercontent. Therefore, the silver content of the contacts 110 can bereduced providing a significant precious metals savings for the system.Generally, silver molybdenum contacts do not flow the silver to the edgeof the contact or lose form to the extent of common silver tin contacts.As a result, contact life is significantly increased under the sameconditions. Embodiments of silver molybdenum contacts 110 may be madefrom any process including, but not limited to, press sinter repress,liquid phase sintering, infiltration, hot isostatic pressing. The silvermolybdenum is in the form of a mixture that uses near pure silver in amixture with molybdenum. This mixture provides a hard structure that ismuch more welding and blow-off resistant as compared to materials beingused today (i.e. AG/SN). A technical advantage is that the embodiment ofa meter disconnect relay 100 can survive more frequent and higherseverity fault conditions in the field. As a result the number of meterfailures for this condition is significantly reduced saving money andgiving a quality and longer field life advantage.

Another aspect is to use silver tungsten carbide at least partially asthe contact material for contacts 100 in an embodiment of a meterdisconnect relay 100. This material has a 5X+ greater life in the labunder 7 KVA fault conditions at 6 cycles. The contacts are stillfunctional after a 12 KVA surge test at 4 cycles while other contactmaterials (typically AG/SN) blows off at such test levels and thecontacts are no longer functional causing the relay to fail. Further,the material is able to be used in close size to present contacts forthe application in the range of 35% to 60% silver as compared to othermaterials that typically use 88%+ sliver content (e.g., sliver tin).Therefore the silver content is reduced providing a significant preciousmetals savings for the system. Contacts commonly used in meterdisconnect relays today typically use a silver tin alloy. The silver tincontacts under a fault condition will flow (or sacrifice) the silver tothe outer edge of the contact surface. Depending on the severity andfrequency of surge/s the copper substrate (when bimetal contact) will beexposed and the contact silver will have an irregular surface. Theseconditions create higher resistance and arching that hastens thedisconnect relay failure through either high heat rise and plasticsmelting or loss of relay connection. The silver tungsten carbidecontacts do not flow the silver to the edge of the contact or lose formto the extent of silver tin contacts. As a result, contact life isincreased under the same conditions. Embodiments of the silver tungstencarbide contacts 110 may be made from any process including, but notlimited to, press sinter repress, liquid phase sintering, infiltration,and hot isostatic pressing. The silver tungsten carbide is in the formof a mixture that uses near pure silver in a mixture with tungsten. Thismixture provides a hard structure with the tungsten that is much morewelding and blow-off resistant as compared to materials being used today(i.e. AG/SN). A technical advantage is that the disconnect relay 100 cansurvive more frequent and higher severity fault conditions in the field.As a result the number of meter failures for this condition issignificantly reduced saving money and giving a quality and longer fieldlife advantage.

In other aspects, the contacts 110 can be at least partially comprisedof silver titanium or titanium carbide. Such contacts 110 can be formedfrom any process including, but not limited to, press sinter repress,liquid phase sintering, infiltration, and hot isostatic pressing.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D illustrate a cut-away view and exploded views ofan aspect of an actuator 112 that can be used in an embodiment of foruse in a meter disconnect relay 100. In this aspect, the actuator 112comprises an electric solenoid 600. On embodiment of the electricsolenoid 600 is comprised of a plunger 602. In one aspect, the plungeris at least partially comprised of ferromagnetic material. Furthercomprising the embodiment of a solenoid 600 is a solenoid body 604,wherein an area of the solenoid body 604 is configured to receive atleast a portion of the plunger 602 and electrical windings 606 withinthe solenoid body 604 substantially surround the area configured toreceive at least a portion of the plunger 602 such that an electricalcurrent through the electrical windings 606 will either apply force tothe plunger 602 to move it out of the solenoid body 604 or to draw itwithin the solenoid body 604. Further comprising the embodiment of asolenoid 600 is a spring 608 that adaptively fits within the areaconfigured to receive at least a portion of the plunger 602 and within aportion of the plunger 602 and a magnet 610. The magnet 610 can beconfigured to fit proximate to the area configured to receive at least aportion of the plunger 602. In one aspect, the spring 608 can be used toprovide additional force to the plunger 602 when moving out of thesolenoid body 604 and the magnet 610 can be used to latch the plunger602 when the plunger 602 is forced to within close proximity of themagnet 610 within the solenoid body 604. In one aspect, the electricsolenoid 600 can create a force of 5 N or higher when the plunger 602 ismoving out of the solenoid body 604. In one aspect, the electricsolenoid 600 can further comprise a metallic protector 612 and a pin614. The metallic protector 612 can protect the magnet 610 from forceapplied to the magnet 610 by the spring 608 or the plunger 602 and thepin 614 can be used to align or strengthen the spring 608. In oneaspect, the magnet can provide tamper resistance for the meterdisconnect relay 100 as it would be very difficult to overcome themagnetic force between the plunger 602 and the magnet 610 when theplunger 602 is latched by use of an externally applied magnet.

While the methods, systems and devices have been described in connectionwith preferred embodiments and specific examples, it is not intendedthat the scope be limited to the particular embodiments set forth, asthe embodiments herein are intended in all respects to be illustrativerather than restrictive.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an embodiment of a meter disconnect relay100 further comprising a utility revenue meter 702, wherein the meterdisconnect relay 100 is integrated into the utility revenue meter 702.In one aspect, the utility revenue meter 702 is an electric utilityrevenue meter.

In one aspect, the utility revenue meter 702 can be connected with anetwork 704, wherein signals received by the meter 702 over the network704 can be used to control the meter disconnect relay 100 using thepower and controls 124 of the meter disconnect relay 100. The network704 can be wired (including fiber optic), wireless or a combination ofwired and wireless. In one aspect, the utility revenue meter 702comprises a smart meter. Smart meters are among the fundamental buildingblocks of smart grid deployments. They track and report energy usage bytime of day, enabling utilities to charge less for electricity usedduring off-peak hours. As a result, consumers can choose to shiftenergy-intensive activities to times when rates are lower to save onenergy costs. In general, smart devices can be configured to communicatewith a smart meter and smart meters are configured to communicate withthe smart grid. Generally, these communications are duplex. Onenon-limiting example of a smart meter is the GE I210+c meter asavailable from General Electric Company (Schenectady, N.Y.). In oneaspect, the network 704 may comprise an advanced metering infrastructure(AMI). AMI refers to systems that measure, collect and analyze energyusage, and interact with advanced devices such as electricity meters,gas meters, water meters, and the like through various communicationmedia either on request (on-demand) or on pre-defined schedules. Thisinfrastructure includes hardware, software, communications, consumerenergy displays and controllers, customer associated systems, meter datamanagement (MDM) software, supplier and network distribution businesssystems, and the like. The network 704 between the measurement devices(e.g., meters 702) and business systems allows collection anddistribution of information to customers, suppliers, utility companiesand service providers. This enables these businesses to eitherparticipate in, or provide, demand response solutions, products andservices. By providing information to customers, the system assists achange in energy usage from their normal consumption patterns, either inresponse to changes in price or as incentives designed to encouragelower energy usage use at times of peak-demand periods or higherwholesale prices or during periods of low operational systemsreliability.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that anymethod set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps beperformed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim doesnot actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is nototherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that thesteps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended thatan order be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possiblenon-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic withrespect to arrangement of steps or operational flow; plain meaningderived from grammatical organization or punctuation; the number or typeof embodiments described in the specification.

Throughout this application, various publications are referenced. Thedisclosures of these publications in their entireties are herebyincorporated by reference into this application in order to more fullydescribe the state of the art to which the methods and systems pertain.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made without departing from thescope or spirit. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice disclosedherein. It is intended that the specification and examples be consideredas exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing inventive concepts.

1. A meter disconnect relay comprised of: a base; an actuator situatedwithin the base, wherein the base maintains a portion of the actuatorstationary and allows a plunger of the actuator to move within the base;a shuttle at least partially comprised of non-conductive material andhaving one or more windows, wherein the shuttle is operably connected toand moved by the plunger of the actuator and wherein the shuttle can bemoved within the base and at least a portion of the base provides a stopfor movement of the shuttle; one or more disconnect switches that areopened or closed by movement of the shuttle, wherein each disconnectswitch is comprised of: a rigid, conductive bridging section pivotallyconnected to a first face of one of the one or more windows in theshuttle, wherein the bridging section comprises at least two contacts,wherein the rigid, conductive bridging section is pivotally connected tothe first face of the window in the shuttle by one or more pinsextending from the first face of the window; a leaf spring pivotallyconnected to a second face of the one of the one or more windows of theshuttle, wherein the second face of the window is opposite the firstface of the window and the leaf spring applies force to the bridgingsection; and a conductive source portion having a source contact and aconductive load portion having a load contact, wherein a first andsecond contact of the at least two contacts of the bridging portion arecaused to substantially simultaneously come in contact with anddisconnect from the source contact and the load contact by movement ofthe shuttle and wherein one or more of the source contact, the loadcontact and the at least two contacts of the bridging portion are atleast partially comprised of silver refractory materials.
 2. The meterdisconnect relay of claim 1, wherein the meter disconnect relay isconfigured such that when closing the one or more disconnect switches,the shuttle continues to travel beyond a point where first and secondcontacts of the at least two contacts of the bridging portion firstsubstantially simultaneously come in contact with the source contact andthe load contact to cause additional force to be applied to the sourcecontact and the load contact by the at least two contacts of thebridging portion through compression of the leaf spring.
 3. The meterdisconnect relay of claim 2, wherein the force applied to the sourcecontact and the load contact by the at least two contacts of thebridging portion through compression of the leaf spring is 5 N orhigher.
 4. The meter disconnect relay of claim 1, wherein the one ormore disconnect switches further comprise an insulating layer positionedsuch that the conductive bridging section is electrically insulated fromthe leaf spring.
 5. The meter disconnect relay of claim 1, wherein theat least two contacts of the bridging section are at least partiallywelded to the bridging section.
 6. The meter disconnect relay of claim1, wherein the at least two contacts of the bridging section are atleast partially riveted to the bridging section.
 7. The meter disconnectrelay of claim 1, further comprising a utility revenue meter, whereinthe meter disconnect relay is integrated into the utility revenue meter.8. The meter disconnect relay of claim 7, wherein the utility revenuemeter is an electric utility revenue meter.
 9. The meter disconnectrelay of claim 1, wherein the leaf spring is pivotally connected to thesecond face of the window of the shuttle by one or more pins extendingfrom the second face of the window.
 10. The meter disconnect relay ofclaim 1, wherein the leaf spring is at least partially comprised ofstainless steel.
 11. The meter disconnect relay of claim 1, wherein theactuator is an electrical solenoid.
 12. The meter disconnect relay ofclaim 11, wherein the plunger is at least partially comprised offerromagnetic material and wherein the electrical solenoid comprises asolenoid body, a spring and a magnet, wherein the spring is used toprovide additional force to the plunger when moving out of the solenoidbody and the magnet is used to latch the plunger when the plunger isforced to within close proximity of the magnet within the solenoid body.13. The meter disconnect relay of claim 12, wherein the plunger latchingwhen the plunger is forced to within close proximity of the magnetwithin the solenoid body provides overcurrent protection for devicesconnected to the conductive load portion of the meter disconnect relay.14. The meter disconnect relay of claim 1, wherein one or more of thesource contact, the load contact and the at least two contacts of thebridging portion are comprised at least partially of one or more ofsilver tungsten, silver tungsten carbide, silver molybdenum, silvertitanium or titanium carbide.
 15. The meter disconnect relay of claim14, wherein one or more of the source contact, the load contact and theat least two contacts of the bridging portion are at least partiallycomprised of 40 to 50% silver and 50 to 60% tungsten.
 16. The meterdisconnect relay of claim 14, wherein one or more of the source contact,the load contact and the at least two contacts of the bridging portionare at least partially comprised of 35 to 50% silver and 50 to 65%molybdenum.
 17. The meter disconnect relay of claim 14, wherein one ormore of the source contact, the load contact and the at least twocontacts of the bridging portion are at least partially comprised of 35to 50% silver and 50 to 65% tungsten carbide.